Bed



Aug. 6, 1957 R. w. STREETER BED Filed May 7. 1954 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Wfiwz United States Patent F BED Ralph W. Streeter, Springfield, Mass. Application May 7, 1954, Serial No. 428,251

1 Claim. (Cl. 5--362) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in beds and the like and is directed more particularly to the provision of a combination of a closure means, heating and/ or cooling means, and to various other improvements in an enclosure in connection or associated with a bed and within which controlled air may be circulated, all to the end that the enclosure may be automatically maintained at a constant or controlled temperature.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a novel and improved construction in which a bed and canopy or closure may be combined thereby offering a complete bed arrangement having special operating and structural advantages whereby a persons body may be enclosed and wherein air within the closure may be antomatically controlled and regulated so as to suit the particular requirements of the occupant relative to the temperature of the air as he or she sleeps. That is to say, warmed or cooled air may be employed, all as may be desired.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a bed having an elevated canopy structure serving or supplanting the conventional bed covers and wherein the canopy construction is simple in its design, occupies a minimum of space, and otters little interference with access to the bed, all so as to facilitate the making and airing thereof as well as to permit convenient and easy acces thereinto and Withdrawal therefrom.

Additionally, it is an object to provide a canopy for a bed which can be adapted for use with standard or presently existing beds, all to the end that the canopy construction per se can conceivably be pre-fabricated and may be installed in connection with an already existing bed not necessarily specifically intended for that particular use or purpose.

There is the further object of providing means whereby the temperature may be automatically regulated and maintained constant or varying as desired and thereby eliminating bed clothing and'permitting more restful repose and free movement of the occupant.

It is another object of the invention to provide a bed construction which will provide cooled or warmed air over and around the bed on which a person may be lying, such apparatus being easily and quickly adjusted, being economical in its construction, and being otherwise well adapted to accomplish the result desired.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for dividing a bed into two portions, separating one portion from another.

One of the primary purposes of my invention is to provide structural and operational improvements in devices of the class to which reference has been made, which improvements simplify the structure as such, and provide important distinct advantages in operability, durability,

practicality, efficiency, and the like.

Other prime objects of the invention include: first, the provision of an improved bed arrangement which may be made more economically than in the case of prior art e lC devices; second, the provision of a construction which may be readily installed with respect to the various purposes for which it is intended, and third, the provision of such other improvements in and relating to beds of the type above referred to as are hereinafter described and claimed.

All of the above objects, I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various other specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the above description, it being understood that the above general statements of the objects of my invention are intended to describe and not to limit it in any manner.

To the above cited ends and with various other novel features and advantages of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed and more fully referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of the head end of the structure of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the foot end of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the structure of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a complete example of one physical embodiment of the invention in which the parts are combined and arranged for one practical application of the principles of the invention. It will, however, be understood that various changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings within the scope of the claim, without departing from the principles of the invention.

In the following description and claim, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. These names, however, are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures, and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention selected for illustrative purposes, I have shown a conventional head board 2 of a bedstead. Rear legs 4 depend downwardly therefrom so as to help to support the structure upwardly from the floor in the well known manner.

A foot board 12 of a bed is also provided and the structure is supported upwardly from a floor or base by means of front legs 14.

The head and foot boards are held in spaced parallel relationship by means of opposite side board members 22 and 24 which serve as side rails in the well known manner.

The conventional transverse members which extend between the opposite side board members 22 and 24 for purposes of supporting a mattress and mattress support such as springs or any similar means for resiliently supporting the mattress if desired. The transverse members are omitted herein for purposes of simplification as are the spring and mattress themselves and the other usual accounterments associated with a bed.

The head board 2 and foot board 12 are each double walled members affording spaces therebetween in which air ducts such as 6 in the case of the head board and such as 16 in the case of the foot board may be provided. For purposes of illustration in Fig. 5, I have shown an outer wall 12 of the foot board and an inner wall v12' with-the duct 16 disposed therebetween. The ducts are more. or less'vertically disposedand have openings 'intheir lower ends affording communication with the .air in the adjacent outer area therearound and having openings "7 and 17 respectively at their upper ends affording communication with the interior of an enclosure to be described. IBy such means, air may be led into or discharged from the bedstead, all as will beobserved.

In. one contemplated form of the invention, air from without the room may be withdrawn from the outside room area through the air ducts 6 inthe headboard 2. and discharged through opening'7 into the enclosure which, as aforesaid, is shortly to be described. 'Likewise air may be withdrawn from the enclosure through the opening 17 of the air duct 16 in the foot board 12, thence passed therethrough and outwardly into the adjacent outside room area underneath the bed.

In the case of the openings 7 in the air ducts, resistance coils (not shown) may be disposed therein whereby air being passed therethrough into the enclosure may be warmed as it moves. Other means for generating heat may be provided adjacent the lower opening of the duct 6 beneath the bed, if desired. 7

The head member 2 may be relatively high as'compared with the foot member 12 as may be appreciated by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Accordingly, an upwardly extending post member 32 may be fixed to the top of the foot member 12 with its upper extremity being in a plane with the top of the head member.2 along whicha header 34 extends between the head and foot membersv If desired, however, the post member 32 may be eliminatcd, end panels 56 eventually to be described being capable of supporting the canopy structure without the aid of the post member 32.

A pair of enclosing hood or canopy sections generally indicated by numeral 40 are provided. Each is curved or dome shaped, and comprises a frame member 42 which supports a sheeting 44 of glass, plastic or the like therewithin, all as shown. The sheeting 44 may or may not be transparent, as desired, it being understood that some people prefer darkened enclosures for sleeping purposes.

At the opposite ends of the structure, additional sheets 46 of glass, plastic or the like are disposed within the framework 52, so as to serve as end lights or panes in the manner shown.

At the foot end, an additional framework 52 is provided between the top of the foot board 12 and the lower edges of the ends of the framework 42 on either side of the post 32. End panels 56 of glass, plastic or the like are provided within the framework 52 so as to provide additional end lights or panes at the foot end of the structure in the manner as shown.

As aforesaid, the post member 32 may be eliminated and the end panels 56 provided within the framework 52 may serve instead to support the canopy members.

The hood members 40 are hinged at their upper extremities to the respective adjacent sides of the header 34 by means of hinges 58 and 58 or the like whereby the hood members may be swung between lower closed positions to upper open positions such as represented by the dash line in Fig. 2.

A pair of cords 60 are each fixed to the frame 42 as by a screw eye 62 or the like at both the head and foot end of the structure. Each extends upwardly over a pulley 64 fixed to the post 32, and thence downwardly where each is fixed to a spring 66. The opposite end of the spring may be fixed to the head board 2 or foot board 12 as the case may be by any conventional means such as an eye 68.

By this means, the opening or closing of the hood members may be facilitated and the spring members have the effect of pulling downwardly upon the related cords 60 so as to cause the hood members to be held in the closed position.

For purposes of convenience, a pull tab 41 or similar manually engaging means may be provided whereby manual manipulation may be facilitated so as to open or close each hood as desired and whereby entrance into or withdrawal from the structure may be simplified. The hood members are held against the side boards by the tension of the springs 66 which also holds them up in the open position.

If desired, the construction can be such that controlled air (either heated or cooled) can be discharged into the construction through the ducts 6 at the head end of the construction and can be discharged out of the construction (being drawn therefrom by suction fans if desired) at the foot end. Naturally this route of circulation may be reversed, if desired.

Fan or blower means or suction means (not shown) may be associated beneath the bed structure and adjacent =the lower openings of the ducts 6 and 16 for purposes of expediting the passage of warmed or cooled air into or out of the enclosure as may be desired.

For purposes of closing the hood member from the inside or interior of the structure, a cord member (not shown) may be attached from the head board to one or the other or both of the hood members so that the occupant may pull the hood closed from within. The hood member or members are opened merely by pushing against the inside of same from the inside.

Also if desired, reading lights may be disposed within the canopy and disposed on the head post member.

Also if desired, thermostats and the conventional wiring may be included therewithin for purposes of controlling automatically or otherwise the temperature within the enclosure.

Interlock switches (not shown) may be provided for automatic operation when the bed is occupied and for automatic shut-elf when the bed is empty.

I have shown in Fig. 4 a curtain apparatus generally indicated by 70 whereby a curtain member may be suspended vertically from the header member longitudinally of the structure in such a manner as to divide the compartment therewithin into two sections, all to the end that with an occupant in each section his individual desires as to'temperature control can be satisfied.

The curtain is of the manifold type and when not in use can be held in non-operating position in close adjacency to the header 34 from which it is suspended. When in operating position, it may hang downwardly therefrom in the open or expanded position whereat the lowermost edge thereof is adjacent the top of the bed so as to divide the compartment within the structure into two smaller compartments or sections. The curtains may be operated by a crank and cord arrangement, if desired.

The curtain is carried by a plurality of lazy tong linkage systems which are formed from links 72 which are pivotally connected to each other by pivots 74 as shown and which are engaged with the flexible curtain member 76 at their midpoints whereby a manifolding action is obtained. The pivots 74 slide in guide grooves which may be provided in the post member 32 and the head board 2 at the opposite extremities. The upper portion of the curtain 76 and the upper extremity of the uppermost link 72 are pivoted to a bracket 78 suspended from the header 34. The'lazy tong linkage systems support the curtain at opposite ends thereof.

In operation, the curtain may be folded upwardly when not in use and, as desired, may be unfolded so as to separate the sleeping area into the two sections as aforesaid. It is operable by a cord and pulley arrangement, if desired.

By such arrangement, each section of the divided sleepand one may be maintained at a temperature which is warmer or cooler than the other.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of. equivalency of the appended claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an enclosable ventilated bed construction of the character described comprising, longitudinally spaced head and foot board structures secured to opposite ends of transversely and oppositely spaced longitudinal lower side rail members, a longitudinal upper rail member extending between-and secured to upper portions of said head and foot board structures, a pair of closure sections, each closure section of said pair thereof having an inner longitudinal edge hinged to said longitudinal upper rail member for independent swinging movements between closed and open posit-ions and being adapted in its closed position to abut upper and side portions of said head and foot board structures and the adjacent of said lower side rail members, said head board structure including relatively spaced inner and outer walls arranged to provide an open ended elongated air inlet passageway extending between and through the walls of said structure, said foot board structure including relatively spaced inner and outer walls arranged to provide an open ended elongated air discharge passageway extending between and through the walls of said structure, and dividing means extending between said head and foot board structures and connected to said longitudinal upper rail members and being adapted for adjustment between upper and lower dividing positions for dividing the space above the bed surface transversely into separate longitudinally extending sections and cooperating with the closure sections of said pair thereof to provide enclosable separate encl-osable compartments at opposite sides of the bed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,099 Herbener Mar. 21, 1905 1,092,298 Schwarz Apr. 7, 1914 1,134,009 Reid Mar. 30, 1915 2,104,024 Conboie Jan. 4, 1938 2,183,533 Benedict Dec. 19, 1939 2,188,078 Eakin Jan. 23, 1940 2,392,948 Reeves Jan. 15, 1946 2,691,178 Butterworth Oct. 12, 1954 

